‘No honking please’ this New Year

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Here’s a different New Year resolution taken by Delhiites Thursday - promising not to honk unnecessarily on the roads of the capital. Delhi Police and The Earth Saviours Foundation (TESF), an NGO, have launched a drive from the New Year to punish those drivers honking indiscriminately to ensure a noise pollution-free city. The New Year Day was observed as “No Honking Day”.

“After Delhi, the campaign will spread to other cities. We are also planning to rope in school and college students to spread awareness among public,” said Ravi Kalra of the TESF.

“We distributed stickers and pamphlets to the commuters to aware them. We also educated the taxi drivers, bus drivers, auto-rickshaw drivers, two-wheelers and individual car owners about ill effects of honking,” Kalra said.

The police and activists of the NGO advised the motorists to remove pressure horns and multi-toned horns to avoid prosecution.

“This will help in curbing the problem of indiscriminate use of horns,” said a police official.

“We also painted black the message ‘horn OK please’ usually written on rear side of Blueline buses. This step was carried out on nearly 250 buses,” Kalra said.

The NGO also organised road shows to educate citizens about the move. “We just want to make people aware of the health problems due to noise pollution caused by honking while driving,” Kalra added.

Unnecessary use of horns in silence zones, near hospitals and schools and at signalled junctions is not allowed as per traffic rules. The violation attracts a fine up to Rs.100 first time and for any subsequent offence, the fine can be extended up to Rs.300.

The Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules of 1993 states that no driver “shall sound the horn or other devices for giving audible warning or shall cause or allow any other person to do so continuously or to an extent beyond what is necessary to ensure safety”.

The rule also states that except to avoid an imminent accident, no person shall sound the horn or other audible warning device within the limits of a stand or a parking place.